


Broken Expectations

by Val_Creative



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, Happy Ending, Heavy Drinking, Humor, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 18:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4715528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/pseuds/Val_Creative
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Will you go out with me?” </p><p>They’re fifteen-years-old and standing on the deck of Uther’s sail boat. Arthur gives him a suspicious look, despite Merlin’s innocent curiosity. </p><p>“<i>No.</i> Why would I do that?” he asks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by anon: "merlin x arthur, modern au, merlin always asks arthur on a date and arthur always turns him down and it becomes this joke between them, but then one day arthur actually agrees and merlin panics because he's like "now what?""
> 
> DEANONING FOR MERLICFICDRIVETHRU AS FIC'S AUTHOR!

*

“Will you go out with me?” 

They’re fifteen-years-old and standing on the deck of Uther’s sail boat. Arthur gives him a suspicious look, despite Merlin’s innocent curiosity. 

“ _No._  Why would I do that?” he asks.

Merlin shrugs, nearly up to his ears. They’re sunburned. Everything about him is sunburned.  _He doesn’t go outside enough_ , Arthur thinks with some silent amusement. “Because you don’t have a someone to go with to the dance?”

Arthur’s tanned, equally sunburned face twists up. “I have  _loads_  of people who wanna go with me!” he nearly shouts, and in a way of it, that’s true. 

Plenty of girls have approached him in the past few days, and of course, Arthur promises each of them a dance. Without actually going about  _accepting_.

“Nobody you want to,” Merlin points out, scoffing.

He reels in his fishing line and squawks as Arthur punches his arm.

“I’ll go with  _you_ , but as  _friends_ , Merlin.”

*

“Will you go out with me?”

They’re eighteen and lagged up. Loud rock music blasts from a nearby stereo, and Merlin’s shoulder to shoulder to him, head softly resting on Arthur’s.

“No, and  _no_  more pints for you,” Arthur says, a little surprised that he isn’t slurring and that his feet are steady as he lifts Merlin up under his pits.

“ _You smell good_ ,” Merlin mumbles, happily, smiling wide.

“And you smell like cannabis – so let’s go.”

*

“Will you go out with me?”

They’re in their twenties, and sometimes, just sometimes Merlin asks this question out of the blue. Arthur has taken to saying “ _no”_ out of habit. It never seems to bother Merlin. He laughs and laughs and they go about their day.

“Yeah, I would like that,” rolls off Arthur’s lips, faintly. “Do you want coffee?”

He looks up from the adverts, across the cafe table as Merlin drops his fork. “Huh…?” Merlin asks, blinking. He can’t have heard that right.

“I said,  _yes_ , you idiot. Now do you want me to ask for the bloody coffee?”

The utensils rattle noisily as Merlin reaches to grasp Arthur’s wrists, meeting their eyes. “You’re a complete wanker,” he says, leaning over fast and planting a firm kiss against his mouth. It’s not expected, but not unpleasant.

Arthur opens his lips against Merlin’s, threading fingers into Merlin’s hair. 

Can’t wait to see how the date goes.

*


End file.
